


Shining Waters

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drowning, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Morgan Stark Needs a Hug (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25268212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: Peter babysits Morgan for the first time. It does not go as planned.Prompt: Peter bonding with Morgan
Relationships: Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 127
Collections: The Friendly Neighborhood Exchange





	Shining Waters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Purple_ducky00](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_ducky00/gifts).



> I'm pinch hitting for the fic exchange!!! Yay!
> 
> TW: almost drowning

Peter sits on the dock, watching the water gently lap against the rocks that make up the shore of the lake. His feet are under the water, which is warm in the summer heat, and he gently kicks his feet back and forth. The light of the setting sun glares across the water, dying the blue brilliant reds and oranges. 

Peter lets out a long breath, inhaling the humid air. 

Everything is so different now. Tony has a wife and a kid. He was dead for five years. People that were his age are now almost out of college. And to him, it felt like the blink of an eye. He was disappearing and then he wasn’t. He was alone on a strange planet, being called to fight a war he didn’t know was happening. 

Five years. 

It doesn’t seem real. 

Peter looks down at the water and the sunset’s reflection. At least this is the same. The lake house is new, but the feeling of water against his skin isn’t, the feeling of the sun isn’t. This is how Peter is dealing with this, finding things that are the same, things that didn’t move on without him. He finds comfort in the water hitting the rocks and the fish swimming beneath him. With his back to the lake house, Peter can pretend that everything is normal.

Peter takes another deep breath. 

He hears feet pad behind him and then someone lowers themselves to sit beside him. Peter doesn’t have to turn his head to know that it’s Tony. With his enhanced hearing, Peter hears the whirring and humming of his metal arm. 

Neither of them says anything for a moment. 

“Pepper and I have to go into the city tomorrow,” Tony tells him. “I want you to watch Morgan but if you’re not comfortable with that I can always get Rhodey or Happy to.”

Peter shakes his head, “I can do it.” He looks down at his feet before looking over at Tony. “You really trust me with her?” 

Tony looks at him like he’s the dumbest person on the planet, “Of course I do. Who else could I trust my daughter more with than her brother?” 

Peter’s heart lurches in his chest, “...Brother?” 

“Yeah, Pete,” Tony laughs. “Why do you think Morgan’s been hanging off your arm since you got here? She’s been hearing about her brother since she was born.” 

“You told her about me?” Peter asks.

“God, of course, kid,” Tony wraps his arm around Peter and brings him into a side hug. “The little miss couldn’t fall asleep without a bedtime story about her favorite superhero. Her favorite one was always Spiderman and Iron Man teaming up to save the day.” Peter smiles softly. Tony looks Peter up and down. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I always wanted a sister.”

Tony smiles, “Well you got one now. And it’s your job to babysit her tomorrow, got it?” Peter nods. “Pepper and I are leaving before you guys wake up, but we should get home at seven or eight. If you need anything call Happy or Rhodey.” 

“Okay.” 

Tony kisses Peter’s temple, “I love you.

“Love you too.” Peter lets himself relax into the embrace as the words settle over him. Since waking up in the hospital, Tony has said those words to Peter over and over again, hugging him close, kissing his head. Peter can’t deny that he loves the shift in their relationship. 

...

The next morning Peter wakes up to something slamming into his chest. He wakes up with a gasp only to see Morgan sitting on top of him, her head tilted curiously to the side. Her hair is all a mess from sleep and she’s wearing spiderman pajamas. Peter smiles at that. 

“Morning,” Peter greets the girl as he sits up, blearily rubbing his eyes.

Morgan smiles at him, “Will you make me breakfast?” 

“What do you want? I know how to make eggs or pancakes.” To no one’s surprise, Morgan chooses pancakes, taking Peter by the hand and practically dragging him down the stairs. While Peter cooks, he sits Morgan on the counter away from the heat. She kicks her legs against the cabinets as she talks. 

Peter listens as she rambles on and on about movies and cartoons that he’s never heard of, people he’s never met, and things he doesn’t understand. But he doesn’t tell her that. He doesn’t tell her about the sinking feeling in his stomach as he is reminded once again of everything he missed in the blink of an eye. 

“Petey?” Morgan cocks her head to the side and looks at her brother. “Are you okay?” 

Peter forces air into his lungs and nods, “I’m fine.” Tony trusts him to watch his daughter, he can’t have a panic attack in front of her. “You wanna help me add the chocolate chips?”

Morgan nods eagerly and lets Peter pick her up. 

Once breakfast is done, Peter sits Morgan down on the couch to watch some cartoons while he takes a shower. He lets the water run over him and he takes a deep breath, he’s babysitted for his neighbors dozens of times, it’s not any different with Morgan. Sure she’s his childhood hero’s kid and also his sister, but that doesn’t matter, Peter tries to convince himself. After showering, he lets Morgan convince him to watch tv with her. 

“What do you want to do today?” Peter asks her during a commercial break. 

Morgan looks up at him with pleading eyes, “Can we go out on the lake? Mommy and daddy haven’t taken me in forever.” 

“Sure thing, peanut.” 

Peter went to summer camp as a kid, he knows how to kayak so he doesn’t see a problem in sitting Morgan on his lap as he paddles. It’s just after lunch now so the sun beats down their necks. Peter paddles until the kayak sits in the middle of the lake. He rests the paddle across the boat and lets it drift. Morgan leans over the side of the boat, dragging her fingers through the soft water. “Be careful,” Peter warns her gently. 

“Look, Petey!” Morgan points excitedly at something out of Peter’s sight. Curiously, he shifts towards where Morgan is and peers over the edge. Seeing nothing, Peter leans even further over the side. He sees what she’s pointing at, a rock glistening in the sunlight. 

Peter is just about to say something to her when the boat flips over, dumping Peter and Morgan into the lake. Peter tries to grab a hold of Morgan, but he can’t grab her in time. She slips from his grasp and he loses sight of her as he squeezes his eyes shut on instinct. 

Peter resurfaces, gasping for air. He looks around quickly but doesn’t see Morgan until he catches sight of her pink swimsuit under the water. Peter doesn’t hesitate to take a deep breath and dive under. He snags the little girl around the waist and drags her up. He dumps her into the kayak before climbing back in himself. 

Peter looks down at Morgan desperately, her eyes are closed and he can hear a low wheeze as she breathes. Then all of a sudden her eyes spring open and she coughs roughly, spewing water from her mouth. 

“We’re okay,” Peter assures her tensely. He rubs her back as she finishes coughing up water. Guilt and pain run through Peter’s arms as Morgan climbs into his lap and cries. Shame boils under his skin. His only job is to keep Morgan safe and he failed. 

Morgan clings to Peter’s front, crying into his chest as he picks up the paddle with shaking hands and starts to row back towards the house. Once he ties up the boat, Peter picks Morgan up, holding her gently as she’s still crying. 

What Peter figures happened to her is that when she fell out of the kayak, she hit her back on the big rock, and got the wind knocked out of her, causing her to forcibly inhale a mouthful of water. He guesses that that causes her to panic and take more water into her lungs before Peter pulled her up. 

His heart is pounding in his chest. Tony is never going to trust him with his daughter ever again, she nearly drowned because Peter was too dumb to remember to grab a life jacket. Morgan’s cries have stopped by the time Peter gently nudges her to change her clothes. He does the same, walking into the guest- his bedroom and quickly stripping off his wet clothes. 

His phone is sitting on the bed and he picks it up and calls Tony. He doesn’t answer. Then he tries Pepper. Nothing. 

Peter is near tears. Why did Tony think leaving him alone with Morgan would be a good idea? Why did they trust him with their only daughter? 

When he walks into the hallway, Morgan is waiting for him. She reaches for him and he is quick to scoop her into his arms and walk down to the living room. “I’m sorry, peanut,” Peter tells her. “I-I’m going to call someone else to watch you, okay?”

“No!” Morgan shakes her head quickly and hugs Peter.

“Mo, I have to call your parents and let them know what happened. I’m going to call Uncle Happy over to come take care of you.” 

“No!” Morgan protests again, she shakes her head and holds him even tighter. With one hand, Morgan takes Peter’s phone and tosses it across the room. 

“Morgan!” Peter gasps. He moves to go grab it, but Morgan pins him to the couch and doesn’t let him move. 

Peter holds his little sister in his arms for what feels like hours. At one point, Peter grabs them some food and tries to get his phone, but once again, Morgan doesn’t let him. Morgan sits completely on top of her, her chest against his. 

Peter doesn’t even feel himself zone out, he just snaps back into reality when the front door swings open. Pepper and Tony rush towards him with worried faces. Peter’s eyes well with tears at the lecture he knows is going to come. They’re going to kick him out and never want to see him again. 

Pepper lifts Morgan out of his arms and whisks her away upstairs, leaving a pale Peter with Tony. 

“What happened, buddy?” Tony asks gently. 

Peter sniffs, wiping away his tears, “I took her out on the boat without a life jacket and we both fell in and she breathed in so much water and I-” Peter sobs, leaning into his hands. “I-I tried to call someone but you didn’t answer and she didn’t let me call anyone else and I should have taken her to a doctor. I-I’m sorry.” Peter moves away from the comforting hand Tony puts on his shoulder. He doesn’t deserve it. “You trusted me with her and I let her on the lake without a life jacket and she could have drowned. I-I understand if you don’t want me to be here anymore-”

“Stop,” Tony shakes his head. Peter shuts his mouth quickly, waiting for Tony to shout and scream and reprimand him. But it doesn’t come. Instead Tony envelopes him in a tight hug, crushing his head into his chest. “Are you okay?” 

Peter’s breath hitches as he takes a breath. He can’t find room in his throat to speak so he just shakes his head and cries into Tony’s shoulder. 

“Shh…” Tony soothes. “You’re okay. Morgan’s okay. Everything’s fine.” 

Peter shakes his head, “I-I let her get hurt. I let you down.” 

“She’s not hurt,” Tony says, “a little shaken up, but she’s okay, thanks to you. Peter, there is only one other person I trust more with my daughter and that is my wife. I don’t blame you, Pete.”

“You should.” 

“We all make mistakes,” Tony rubs his back. “If I had a dollar for every mistake I’ve made with Morgan I could buy the state of New York.” Peter chokes out a laugh. “You are not a bad person or a bad brother for making one mistake.”

“Thank you.” Peter lets himself be smothered by Tony’s hug. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! 
> 
> Tumblr- @romeoandjulietyouwish


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